->''That was the closest we ever got -- just 0.01 cm between us. Fifty seven hours later, I fell in love with this woman.''

''Chungking Express'' (重慶森林) is a movie directed by Creator/WongKarWai and released in 1994. Creator/QuentinTarantino loved it so much that he signed a deal with [[Creator/MiramaxFilms Miramax]] to start his own releasing company specifically to distribute the movie in the US.

The movie can't be easily summarized, if only because it starts with one story, [[HalfwayPlotSwitch which it abandons on the way]] to continue with another. Essentially, each plot follows a Hong Kong cop, and his strange romance with a woman they've just met, but the two ultimately differ in tone and conclusion. Arguably, rather than trying to tell a story, it is a depiction of the cramped, hectic, neurosis inducing, but strangely exciting contemporary life in the city.----

!! Contains examples of:

* BigEater: The first cop eats his way through 30 cans of pineapple to get over his ex, and then several plates of miscellaneous food, when Brigitte Lin is sleeping.* BoyishShortHair: Faye.* CringeComedy: Qiwu's attempts to pick up women.* EvenBeggarsWontChooseIt: When the first cop, who has been collecting pineapple cans with a May 1 peremption date, in memory of his girlfriend dumping him, tries to give one to a beggar on the night of April 30, the beggar lobs it back at him. "It's past its sell by date! You keep it!"* TheDanza: Faye Wong as Faye.* DoggedNiceGuy: Cop #223 can't take a hint if his life depended on it.* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Faye's short hair has grown long [[spoiler: when she returns as a stewardess.]]* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Cop #663 is only known by his badge number. (Cop #223 introduces himself at the beginning as He Qiwu.)* FemmeFatale: Brigitte Lin's character.* {{Fetish}}: Cop #663 has a thing for air hostesses.* GenreShift: It starts as an urban thriller and turns into a romantic comedy.* GirlNextDoor: Faye.* HalfwayPlotSwitch* UsefulNotes/HongKong: Arguably the main character of the movie is the city itself.* IndyPloy: The Brigitte Lin character stages an impromptu kidnapping to get some information.* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: The first usage of "California Dreamin'," and the second usage of "What a Difference a Day Made."* LocalHangout: Both cops get their snacks and coffee at a local pit stop called the Midnight Express. It's the setting for much of the movie.* LongHairIsFeminine: We first see Faye from behind and the cop assumes she is a man because of her short hair.* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Faye. Childlike, wacky mannerisms? Check. Idealistic and free spirited, to Cop #663's broken heart and outward stuffed shirt? Check. Tendency towards petty crime? Check. Amazingly cute? Very much check.* MaybeEverAfter: Brigitte Lin's character and the first cop. We never find out if they got anywhere, but our last impression of Brigitte Lin is her wishing him a happy birthday, over the answering machine -- perhaps she was warming to him?* NoNameGiven: We never learn the name of Brigitte Lin's character, or as mentioned, Cop #663.* SexyStewardess: The second cop's former girlfriend. His next girlfriend emulates her and becomes one as well.** In a flashback scene, we see his then girlfriend do her safety instruction routine over the usual voice recording ("emergency exits are located at the front and back..."), while at his place, and with her top off. It's an obvious turn-on for him.* ShipperOnDeck: The store manager gives people advice about their love lives, and even hustles all the other employees away when Cop #663 approaches, so Faye will be alone with him.* SleepCute: Cop #633 and Faye.* StalkerWithACrush: Faye steals the second cop's house keys and sneaks into his flat. She makes a habit of moving his stuff around, buying him new things, just to see whether he'll notice. She also inspects his bed with a magnifying glass for evidence of sexual activity.* SunglassesAtNight: Brigitte Lin's character.* TrainEscape: Brigitte Lin's character, as she's being chased by vengeful drug dealers.* {{Tsundere}}: Faye is a Type A for Cop #633.* WordSaladTitle: The title blends together the name of Chungking Mansions, a cheap apartment complex in Kowloon, and that of the Midnight Express pit stop.----